Proceeding with caution

@Hope84 Hi Hope84 and welcome to the forums. Have a look around the various threads there are social to the more serious. There is generally someone online to talk with at all times of the day. I suppose all you can do is jump in and see how you like it. I have gained some great friendships here which have really helped me over some tough times. Anyway have a look around. Oh if you want to talk with someone directly tag them like I have tagged your name above. I will see you around maybe greenpea

@Hope84 you can create your own thread and have conversations with your friends there but they are all open for people to look at. Having said that the moderators are great and the people here are very friendly so I have never seen any nastyness from anyone.

Hi @Hope84 welcome to this forum, I am a new contributor as of today too. I don't know much about this site but like you I decided to give it ago. This is my first forum I like you I have not joined one before, so it's a step forward for me. I think being able to discuss things without judgement is paramount to ones mental health and personal recovery. I certainly need a place where I too can discuss issues that are not so easily discussed at home or in my personal circles because people generally do not understand the complexities I live with, nor do they fully appreciate my daily struggles living with a debilitating and sometimes devastating disorder. I am a recovering trauma survivor with complex ptsd however I think that regardless of our diagnosis or presenting problems, no one has a monopoly on suffering, we all seek better health outcomes and we all deserve as such.

Hi @Hope84

Firstly welcome to the forum my friend 💐

I am so happy that you have already met the beautiful @Lilabelle@greenpea

I suffer from severe anxiety also and I understand how debilitating it can be. One minute you are okay and the next you are shaking from the inside out then everything goes crazy and you feel like you are going to die. I can’t stand it... it’s really hard to get a handle on it but once you do, trust in yourself that you are in control ... as my therapist once said to me “Don’t be scared... you’ve got this!” As in you can handle it. I have faith that I can now and I know that you will get there in your own time. When you do, you will come out the other side so much stronger. In the meantime, just take the time to breathe and take care of you... nothing bad is going to happen xoxo

Take care and I will be here if you want to talk 💐❤️

Good morning @Lilabelle

It’s so nice to meet you 😊

I’m happy that you have found us all.

You will find many friends here that are always going to support you as I will.

Big hugs 🤗 for reaching out 💐

Hi Hope84, I'm new to this forum too but have been on others such as Beyond Blue for quite a few years. My issues are the same as your's - aren't they such joys to deal with?! The thing I've found about forums like this is that people understand and they don't judge so it becomes easier to be open about how you're feeling, and even more so because it's anonymous. Often people will have little tips they may help or give advice, but at the very least they are sympathetic and willing to listen. Also, you can read other people's posts and the realisation that others are going through similar things somehow makes you feel not so alone. The fact that I'm still on sites like this at the age of 48 means that the issues don't necessarily go away but I have been given good advice over the years that has stopped me from going over the edge.

You can see from my handle that I'm a dog lover. If nothing else, a dog provides non-judgemental and unconditional love - my poor old labrador Sam saved me (along with my wife), whether it be just giving him a pat, getting out for a walk or just being there.

Good luck - I hope you find these forums beneficial.

All the best 🙂